Let me preface this by saying I've been in love with the F4 since 2002, when I rode behind one at a charity ride. The practical side of me however turned out to be a cheap little ******* who always whispered in my ear 'come on, what are you going to do with this thing, get something practical..' Ironically, the Hypermotard I ended up getting turned out to be even less practical - with no wind protection, and not a canyon or supermoto track in sight..

Fast-forward almost a decade, and the crate with the titanium F4 finally arrives. Time for a test ride. I have to admit, I was secretly hoping it would be a disappointment, so I wouldn't feel stupid for missing out all these years, but no such luck..

In short, this machine is absolutely brilliant.

I've owned and raced my share of metric bikes, and ridden even more, and I can't think of one that can fairly compare.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way.. It was hard on my knees. Even compared to my bikes with race rearsets, the knees took a beating, but come to think of it, some of that might just come from me getting old(er).. I am 5'5", inseam is about 30", I don't know if it would be materially different for someone with longer legs. Body position is very aggressive, with a lot of weight on the wrists, exactly what you would want in a superbike racer but not necessarily for a 3-hour backroad romp.

Now for the good. Where do I start..

Looks. Ok, I'm a woman, so looks are important. :) I had my heart set on the classic red/silver and did not expect the titanium/silver to take my breath away as it did. The red frame peeking out is a masterpiece. Although the weld seams on exhaust headers could be a little neater, but then I'm just picky.. But the sound.. oh my god.. it's like someone stuffed a V-12 Ferrari under there..

Five minutes into the ride, a pickup truck with a dad and a couple of kids catches up alongside, gives me a huge thumbs up and, after a friendly wave, cellphone cameras come out. The rest of the day wasn't much different, lots of thumbs up, long looks, smiles and compliments, both on the road and at the gas station. For once, none of them had anything to do with a woman riding and were aimed at the machine lol

I also loved the cockpit design. The windshield, although not designed as a double bubble, is set at a perfect angle for my size, with the deflection air stream hitting me at the very top of my helmet - so even for someone taller than me, the wind should only hit them about where the helmet curves back, very comfortable. And even mirrors have aerodynamic funnels.

Gear box/transmission/clutch. My absolute favorite thing about this bike. I have never in my life experienced a transmission so perfect in its action. No clank, not even a click, with only slightest of efforts required - at times I'd even have to check the dash to see if the gear actually engaged (it did every time, but with the close ratios the rpm change is not always noticeable at highway cruising speeds). And I absolutely love the gear selector indicator on the dash, what a treat - I've had aftermarket ones installed on some race bikes but they were often unreliable and clunky looking, love having this option.

The downshifts are incredibly smooth. I am accustomed to riding twins so I was expecting significant engine braking and a lot more resistance, but with only the slightest throttle blip downshifts were effortless. If I were on the track, I would have played around a little harder but even on the street the difference was remarkable, I'm sure in large part thanks to slipper clutch and traction control.

The fact that the gear box is a cassette blows my mind, I've only seen this option on MotoGP bikes - this means you can work on it without splitting the cases, which not only allows to to change gear ratios at the track (ok, who's really gonna do that) but will unquestionably save on mechanic's labor bills for years down the road.

Brakes. Brakes perform well, very powerful but not grabby, very predictable, can't wait to try and push them a little harder in a more aggressive environment.

Handling. The bike is amazingly well-balanced. It doesn't "fall" into the corner unlike some other models with similarly aggressive body position, but instead tips in with precision, and holds the line throughout with no additional inputs. I would also attribute that to a good choice of tires (I always liked the profile on Diabolo Corsas, which always made for a smooth side-to-side transitions).

Engine. SO MUCH POWER.. my god. Need I say more. What feels like unlimited, linear supply of power at your fingertips. I can see getting into a lot of trouble on this machine.. better keep it for the track.. :D

OVERALL CONCLUSION: I'm in love. I was so smitten by the looks I almost didn't want to ride it for fear of disappointment as I've been burned before (ask me about a 996 one day).. But my girlie crush has been fully justified! It's like falling head over heels for Alain Delon, only to find out he also cooks and gives foot rubs.

Brutale, you are next!

Yuliya

gixxerjasen

02-11-2011, 11:22 AM

sigh....nice garage.

Chirpy

02-11-2011, 11:53 AM

I dunno, too many cars in it :-)

Glad to see reality lived up to the imagination Yuliya!

frijole_tex

02-11-2011, 12:09 PM

Nice review and nice ride(s). Saw the MV bikes being made on HDTV / Rides and one has to come away impressed with the craftsmanship.

Lil Squid

02-11-2011, 01:25 PM

:)

Thanks!

I'm so pumped that it lived up and exceeded my expectations, a part of me was honestly dreading the ride.. Stand by for a Brutale review in a week or two!

bjhughes

02-11-2011, 01:54 PM

Congrats! I have a few friends that own one. If I hit the lotto someday, I will buy one too. Pure beauty. Enjoy it.

hardybaker

02-11-2011, 01:57 PM

Lady, lady, lady. I have lusted over the F4 for at least as many years as you have. (I am a "bit" older than you.) I am at the point in life, that I buy what I want. Ok, so I, quite often, "ponder" my choices throughly. Several times I thought about having an affair,,, no, no, buying an F4. I am so in LOVE with that machine that,,,,,, truthfully,,, I don't think I would ride if it was sitting in my shop. It's too pretty to ride. It should be "kept" under a glass bubble. The first time I saw the F4, I was speechless for twenty minutes. I found, that after that, it was still hard to catch my breath. GOD, that is a georgus machine.
Seriously, all I can add, is if some beautiful day, if you should ever ride up to Yankees Tavern, in Carlos,TX. please tell me in advance so I can be there and see the arrival, and departure of that "creature." And the sound,,,,,,,. I'd buy you lunch too. Is there any doubt what I think of the love of your life. (I mean your sweetheart machine) Enjoy yourself. Hardy

Lil Squid

02-11-2011, 03:18 PM

Hardy, I absolutely know how you feel - so I'll do you one better..

PM me and we'll arrange a test-ride. One downside - you'll have to come down to Houston for that! :P

hardybaker

02-11-2011, 03:51 PM

Thank you soooo much. But, I won't allow myself to ride an F4 as I know myself too well. I'd have one and probablly other fine Itialian steeds in my stable shortly thereafter. The offer is greatly appericated, more than you may know. No doubt, I will see you if you are on that "stallion", should our paths come together. I hope so. Hardy

Tourmeister

02-11-2011, 04:26 PM

Great to hear from you stranger! Even better that you post a great review of such a sweet ride. Congrats on the new bike. However, POST BIGGER PICS! :lol2:

FJRHank

02-11-2011, 05:16 PM

decided to check for pics on the net, it's such a nice looking ride... here's one showing the sss... very awesome bike, wow!

:tab I remember seeing my first F4. It was at a Ducati dealership in Dallas somewhere. It was the red/gold version that was selling for around $100K. It was up on a raised display and cordoned off so you could not touch. I must have sat there for about 20 minutes without saying a word, just staring at all the bits and pieces. That bike just OOZED aesthetic awesomeness... :drool: Few other sport bikes before or since have had that same affect on me. Heck, I'd put it right up there with the R1150GS in terms of its presence and how it demands attention from passing onlookers :-P We won't get into speed, handling, etc,... though.

VFRRider

02-11-2011, 10:47 PM

WANT, but alas, it would be the bike or living indoors with the family, and maybe the family would decide to jsut kill me and put me out of their misery.

Go for it.

Larry
VFRrider

SAFit07

02-11-2011, 10:56 PM

I had a 'summer fling' last summer in which I'd bought/shipped an '02 F4 that was in Pennsylvania. Did I mention I did it w/o consulting the wife?

Oh well. It was worth it.

I assume you've had to have visited the MV forum right? www.mvagusta.net

Anyhow, nice write-up!

As for the garage in the background of your pic...reminds me of my 8-yr old who's told me more than once that he NEVER is getting married because he wants a Ferrari. ;-)

Lil Squid

02-12-2011, 01:55 AM

LMAO Scott, you must be the first person on Earth to compare MV Oro to a R1150GS, that was cool! :rider:

SAFit, I've become a sponsor on the MV site, good and knowledgeable community but doesn't seem to be quite as active as TWT.. yet :P Show your boy the picture and tell him I'm very proud of him for getting his priorities straight. But tell him.. my husband and I in all likelihood would have never been able to reach the point in our lives where we could have one without each other!

He'll just have to be extra picky.. it's easy: any girl who looks at the Cavallino and says "nice Mustang, is that new" or "Ferrari, huh.. who makes that" is automatically disqualified. Extra points given for knowing Enzo's son's name and why one should never buy a Porshe (I kid, I kid!) When you bring him to Houston, give me a shout, I'll be happy to take him for a spin!

Larry, Hardy - I know it first hand how short life is. It's too short for a Toyota. I don't care if it's MV or something else, but you need to go find yourself something that speaks to your soul - otherwise, what's the point of it all? :)

SAFit07

02-12-2011, 02:15 PM

Lil Squid....good points & will have to 'reiterate' your points to him in time. hahahaah...

Ur pics/garage remind me of a 'new' (?) member here & on the AF1 forum...but he's got a Tabmurini (sp) & I think his Ferrari's a bit older! A fellow Texan of course.

Anyhow, not sure if Houston still has them but one of the co-owner's from AF1 had posted pics of his morning there w/ his son @ the 'Cars & Coffee' (?) on a Sunday morng back in '09. Never got the chance to make it out to H-Town myself for one...the rides that showed up were much better than any car show in this area.

Well, enjoy the weekend...the weather is finally just awesome. Be safe!

tojo92

02-12-2011, 02:58 PM

Funny. The member's Tamburini is at the shop right now getting some love from Andy and I believe they are the same model 550 Maranello.

Small world.

Staton

Desmorider

02-12-2011, 06:28 PM

Just thought I would pop in to say hi!:eek2:

Yep, Andy has the Tambo in for installation of the 'off road only' exhaust and chip. I am working out to better be able to ride as the weather steadily improves!

And yes, a Ferrari 550 in my garage, too....great minds stuff, but I opted for the slightly less visible 'silver' exterior.:trust:

And on the subject of great minds sharing similar tastes, here is the used DB4 I bought off E-bay back in November.....Tojo and I now have matching Bimotas, but his has more trick bits. I borrowed the pic from Andy's facebook page, IIRC. Andy serviced it after it arrived from 'up north'.....it runs great, looks great, sounds awesome. Looking forward to spring.

Lil Squid

02-12-2011, 07:44 PM

Just thought I would pop in to say hi!:eek2:

Glad you found your way here! I've known Scott and Beth for a number of years, they are really good people and put together a wholesome, informative, friendly and mature community that is always a pleasure to visit and read :) Basically, like Fchat for grown-ups LOL (don't tell Rob I said that!! :D)

Do you ever go to Cars & Coffee? I'm thinking of making my way out there next time, either on four wheels or on two (not a bad problem to have lol). Hope you are recovering well.

Yuliya

Desmorider

02-13-2011, 12:45 AM

I have not made one yet.....Saturday is common day for my wife and I to go out in the F-car around here. I need to keep up with the schedule and make one soon.